Symbology

I have to design the symbols of the Chinese Zodiac for the years in which several of the extended family members were born. These will go around the base of the fountain. I’ve made some quick sketches to get my ideas solidified before I begin working them into the painting. 

First I drew the ovals into the wet paint of the base with a brush dipped in a thin mix of MUD (2 parts Ultramarine Blue + 1 part Alizarin Crimson) + Liquin. Then the symbols are drawn with the same mixture. The Snakes and Tiger are complete, I’m working on the Ox that represents Jennifer’s mother. You may click on this, or any of the other images, to see an enlargement.

Now the Horse and Rooster symbols are added.

VIDEO DEMONSTRATION: Painting the Rooster

The first step in painting the tile floor is to cover the entire surface, establishing the light and shadow pattern. Combinations of MUD + Cadmium Orange + Cadmium Red Light + White are used. A few strokes of Ultramarine Blue + White are added at the back edge to make it recede.

The perspective lines of the tile are drawn freehand into the wet paint of the floor using a fine liner brush and the MUD + Liquin mixture.

The sunlight streaming into the courtyard illuminates the horizontal edges of the individual tiles.

I’ll be planting more flowers in our next session. Why don’t you grab a pair of gardening gloves and come give me a hand? With Colorful Smiles, 

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© Senkarik 2021

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Aslan, California Poppies and Sunflowers

My collector’s son wanted to include Aslan, the lion that represents Jesus Christ in C.S. Lewis’, “The Chronicles of Narnia.” The Lion Fountain also symbolizes the “Living Water” of Christ from the words of John 4:10,  “Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.””

California Poppies fill a terra cotta pot sitting on the wall of the fountain base. The bright flowers are combinations of Alizarin Crimson + Cadmium Red Light, Cadmium Red Light, Cadmium Red Light + Cadmium Orange and pure Cadmium Orange. The foliage is made of mixes of Pthalo Blue + Cadmium Yellow Medium. Please remember as you read through my post, you may click on any of the images to see them larger.

Water tumbles down, from the bowl of the stone fountain, to the base below. Long strokes of White + Ultramarine Blue are lightly dragged straight down, over the California Poppies. The brush is allowed to skip and hop over the texture of the flowers, giving the impression of cascading water.

Sunflowers are now planted in the container in front of the base. The first step is to block in the large blossoms with mixtures of Cadmium Orange + Alizarin Crimson + a touch of MUD (2 parts Ultramarine Blue + 1 part Alizarin Crimson), Cadmium Yellow Medium + Cadmium Orange + a little MUD, Cadmium Yellow Medium + Cadmium Orange and pure Cadmium Yellow Medium.

The leaves are painted with the same mixes used for those of the California Poppies. The greens are worked around the masses of Yellow, helping to shape the flowers.

Dark centers are added. Then the petals of the Sunflowers, illuminated by the sunlight streaming into the courtyard, are accentuated with a mix of Lemon Yellow + a tiny bit of Cadmium Yellow Medium. The corner of my square Bright brush is used to make the small brushstrokes.

The warmth of the Sunflowers, California Poppies and Red Doors, juxtaposed against the coolness of the blues in the background, is starting to give the painting a feeling of depth. That will increase even more when the foreground is totally complete! Thanks for following along today! HUGS,

ALL SENKARIK IMAGES ARE PROTECTED UNDER INTERNATIONAL COPYRIGHT LAW

© Senkarik 2021

www.senkarik.com

Brick Arch, Wisteria and Red Door

The old stucco walls are painted with mixes of MUD (2 parts Ultramarine Blue + 1 part Alizarin Crimson) + Cadmium Orange + more Ultramarine Blue + White. The back edge of the side, or jamb, of the arch is painted with a mix of Ultramarine Blue + White + a tiny bit of the wall mix. The lighter blue makes the back edge recede. To see this better just click on the image to enlarge it. And please keep in mind, you may enlarge any of the images in this post.

While the walls are still wet and pliable, the water splashing in the fountain is painted. The brush stokes are dragged upward in the direction of the red arrows.

VIDEO DEMONSTRATION: Painting the Brick Arch over the Fountain.

We’ll start on the Wispy Wisteria next. My color recipes are: #1 – Pthalo Blue + Liquin. #2 – Pthalo Blue + White. #3 – MUD + Liquin. #4 – Two mixes of Sap Green + Lemon Yellow. #5 – Three combinations of Dioxazine Purple + Ultramarine Blue + White. #6 – Two Mixtures of Dioxazine Purple + White and #7 – Ultramarine Blue + White. 

To learn more about our Double Primary Color Mixing System CLICK HERE!

First the long, dangling blossoms of the Wisteria are blocked in with mixes #5, #6 and #7. 

The leaves are painted around the masses of purple and blue with mixtures #1 and #4. 

Then I come back and delineate the individual petals of the Wisteria Blooms. Long, wandering tendrils of the vines are also drawn into the wet paint of the wall.

After completing the Wisteria the Red Doors are added. The shadow portion is made of Cadmium Red Deep + Magenta, while the sunny part is pure Cadmium Red Light. The edges of the boards making up the door panels are highlighted with mixtures of Cadmium Red Light + White.

That’s all for this session. Not sure where I’ll begin in the next one, guess you’ll just have to come back to find out! With Big Hugs,

ALL SENKARIK IMAGES ARE PROTECTED UNDER INTERNATIONAL COPYRIGHT LAW

© Senkarik 2021

www.senkarik.com

Texas Bluffs and Stream

The sky is painted first, the upper part with a combination of White + Cobalt Blue. A mix of White + Pthalo Blue is used for the lower portion of the sky. Then the pig, happily kicking up his heels on the weather vane, is drawn into the wet field of the sky with a mix of MUD (2 parts Ultramarine Blue + 1 part Alizarin Crimson) + a touch of Cadmium Orange. To see the detail more clearly you may click on this, or any of the other images, to enlarge them.

VIDEO DEMONSTRATION: Painting the Bluffs

VIDEO DEMONSTRATION: Painting the Stream

The bay mare takes a long drink of cool, cool water from the stream. Her coat is mixtures in various proportions of MUD + Cadmium Red Light + White. The colt by her side is painted with MUD + Ultramarine Blue + a touch of Cadmium Orange + White.

The distant landscape and horses are finished, let’s move to the Bluebonnets nestled just outside the open doors.

The Texas State Flowers are painted with Cobalt Blue + White. Orange is the complimentary color, or across the color wheel, from Blue. Placing complimentary colors next to each other accentuates them. Having the reddish oranges in the stream bed behind the Bluebonnets makes them appear brighter. 

I’ve always thought my “Through the Door” paintings look so neat at this stage where the scene on the outside is totally finished and the foreground just sketched in. But it won’t be that way long, I’ll start working on the building in our next session. COME WATCH! With Colorful Smiles,

ALL SENKARIK IMAGES ARE PROTECTED UNDER INTERNATIONAL COPYRIGHT LAW

© Senkarik 2021

www.senkarik.com

Cool Collaboration

Starting on a “Cool Collaboration” today. My collector always adds some fun things to their paintings and this one is chock full of them. You may click on this or any of the other images to see enlargements.

After finishing the sketch I went back and pulled up a piece I’d done previously for them called “Travels”. Looking at the painting they already had I quickly realized that the arch was on the same side in my sketch. That just wasn’t going to work well at all. 

So, putting the sketch in Photoshop I just flipped it! AH, that’s much better.

Now I begin sketching up the basic elements on the canvas. Using a T-Square balanced on the top of the gallery wrap canvas I draw the upright lines of the arch and doors.

All of the drawing at this stage is done with a brush dipped in a thin oil wash of MUD (2 parts Ultramarine Blue + 1 part Alizarin Crimson) + Liquin. The dabs shown above are mixed thoroughly together to make the MUD.

The T-Square has also been used in drawing the vertical sides of the wall niche in which the lion fountain resides. The brick arch, lion head and curved bowl are all drawn freehand.

My collector loves to include the Chinese Zodiac signs for the members of his family in their paintings. If you’ll look closely at the image of “Travels” you’ll see a Rooster, Horse and Rabbit on tiles to the right of the door. They’ll also be included in this painting, along with some more representing various other family members.

Here’s the Rabbit nestled by the flower pots!

Both Mom and one of the Sons in their immediate family were born under the Chinese Year of the Horse. Different years of course! The happy little pig, kicking up it’s heels on the weather vane, is for the year her father was born!

The oil wash sketch is complete, I’ll begin painting with opaque oils in our next session. Hope you’ll come back to my studio and follow along!

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Thank you for subscribing and have a wonderful day! With Big Hugs,

ALL SENKARIK IMAGES ARE PROTECTED UNDER INTERNATIONAL COPYRIGHT LAW

© Senkarik 2021

www.senkarik.com

The Joy of Spring

The head, back and upper wing of the juvenile Bluebird, waiting for the worm, are painted with mixes of Cobalt Blue + White. Burnt Sienna + White is used for the markings on his throat and chest while White + MUD (2 parts Ultramarine Blue + 1 part Alizarin Crimson) is reserved for his tummy feathers. You may click on this or any of the other images to see them larger.

That little fella is done, let’s paint his brother. Come watch the video!

VIDEO DEMONSTRATION: Painting the baby Bluebird

Mama Bluebird is painted with the same mixes as the babies. I must admit, painting a worm is a FIRST for Me! I’ve used combinations of Cadmium Yellow Medium + MUD + White.

“The Joy of Spring”     

We don’t have much winter at all here in Central Texas and I’m more than ready for warm weather. I hope these Bluebirds and Blossoms bring all of you in the frozen tundra up north a touch of “The Joy of Spring”! I sure appreciate you reading my blog! With Colorful Smiles and Big Hugs,

ALL SENKARIK IMAGES ARE PROTECTED UNDER INTERNATIONAL COPYRIGHT LAW

© Senkarik 2021

www.senkarik.com

Burst of Blooms

We’ve had a blast of winter, it’s going to get below freezing here tonight! BRRRRRRRR! I’m totally ready for spring so decided to paint a mama Bluebird feeding her babies in a blossoming plum tree.

The birds have been washed in with oil mixes of Cobalt Blue + Liquin and Burnt Sienna + Liquin. Thin mixtures of Permanent Rose + Liquin and Magenta + Liquin are used for the flowers. Please remember as you read my post, you may click on any of the images to see enlargements.

Leaves are added with combinations of Sap Green + Liquin and Pthalo Blue + Liquin.

Various shades of Viridian Green + MUD (2 parts Ultramarine Blue + 1 part Alizarin Crimson) + White are used for the background. The pink blossoms will appear even brighter with the muted greens behind them.

The background is finished and we’re ready to paint the fluffy flowers. Come Watch!

VIDEO DEMONSTRATION: Painting the Plum Blossoms

Deep centers are added to the individual flowers with a mix of Magenta + Liquin.

Flowers DONE! We’ll be painting the Bluebirds in our next session. Hope you’ll come back and follow along!

If you would like to receive an email every time I publish a new post please feel free to subscribe to my blog. CLICK THIS LINK and scroll to the upper right side of the page. You will see a heading EMAIL SUBSCRIPTIONS. Just enter your email address and click the button “Sign me up!”  It’s easy. Please keep in mind, to move through the blog when you get the posts just CLICK on the small titles at the top of the page. The right one for the next post or the title on the left side for the previous session.

Thank you for subscribing and have a wonderful day! With Big Hugs,

ALL SENKARIK IMAGES ARE PROTECTED UNDER INTERNATIONAL COPYRIGHT LAW

© Senkarik 2021

www.senkarik.com

WELCOME 2021!

WOW, it’s finally here, 2021! AND I have not disappeared from the face of the earth, I’m alive and well. I had some super secret gift commissions to paint for Christmas, I couldn’t show them on my blog. But now the surprise gifts have been presented to the recipients, I can reveal them to you! Please remember as you read through this post, you may click on any of the images to see them larger.

This LIMITED ORIGINAL, “A Touch of Greece”, was commissioned as a gift for a couple who had taken a Mediterranean cruise.  

Sal is a huge University of Texas Longhorn fan so we made sure to include the UT logo just for him!

I also got to do a portrait of some wonderful friends of Jack’s and mine, Tammy and Russ. She asked me to paint Russ with the grandchildren for his Christmas present. As a surprise their son and all of Tammy’s side of the family asked me to include her in the portrait. They took lots of pictures on Thanksgiving to send as reference for me to work from.

Skooched everyone together on a love seat to make a better painting.

Tammy didn’t have a clue she was going to be in the painting. So she was as surprised as Russ when he opened it! They love their portrait and everyone in the family had a fun time conspiring in the collaboration.

This Christmas season has also been super busy because I’m in charge of all the planning, organizing and scheduling volunteers to do everything to keep our Church family safe during this strange season covid has brought. We had 6 services on Christmas Eve, one Christmas Day and then 4 more the following weekend. New Year’s weekend had 5 more worship services. So I’ve been just a bit busy. I’m still trying to get caught up but will be posting more paintings soon! 

I just wanted to take a moment to let you know how much I appreciate your concern, support and encouragement. As we look at the vastness of the New Year looming before us, please remember this: ALL we have is this very moment. We don’t know what is going to happen in the next moment or hour, let alone the next year. We can’t control outside events BUT we can control how we handle them. Bad things may happen; however, we can choose to not let the BAD things overtake us. We can choose to make each and every moment the best that we can. Good Moments add up into Good Days. Good Days into Good Weeks. And 52 Good Weeks add up into a GOOD YEAR! Thank you for being part of my Team Senkarik Family and let’s all just Plan on Making 2021 a Good Year, NO MATTER WHAT!

ALL SENKARIK IMAGES ARE PROTECTED UNDER INTERNATIONAL COPYRIGHT LAW

© Senkarik 2021

www.senkarik.com